Mahāsanā महासना (229)

Āsana means seat.  She has a great seat is the literal meaning.  Her āsana is the seat of thirty six tattva-s.  The third nāma already discussed about Her corporeal seat.

{Further reading on 36 tattva-s or principles: 1, 2, 3, 4. antaḥkaraṇa  that comprises of mind, intellect, consciousness and ego. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Organs of perception or cognitive senses (jñānedriyā-s), ear, skin, eye, tongue and nose. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.  Cognitive faculties or tanmātra-s, sound, touch, sight, taste and smell. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. Organs of actions known as karmendriyā-s, mouth, feet, hands, organ of excretion and organ of procreation. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. Action faculties, speech, movement, holding, excretion and procreation. (1 to 25 known as ātma tattva-s.) 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31. Time (past, present and future), niyati (order of sequence), kalā (induces action), vidyā (induces intelligence), rāgā  (desire), puruśā (soul), māyā (illusion, causing ignorance) (25 to 31 known as Vidyā tattva-s.)  32, 33, 34, 35, 36. Śuddhavidyā (induces more intelligence than action), Īśvara (induces more action than intelligence), Sadhāśiva (induces both intelligence and action in equal proportion), Śaktī (induces action), Śiva (induces pure knowledge).}

Mahā- yāga-kramārādhyā महा-याग-क्रमाराध्या (230)

Worshipping sixty four yoginī-s (demigoddesses who are assistants to Her) is called mahā-yaga and if performed according to the laid down procedures, gives immediate results.  This worship falls under the category of tantra śāstra as navāvaraṇa pūja.

In Śrī cakra, each of the eight āvaraṇa is presided by a yoginī. It is said that each of these yoginīs has eight deputies making sixty four yoginīs in all.  Yoginī-s are explained as demigoddesses attending on Śiva and Śaktī. 

There is another interpretation. There are eight forms of Bhairava known as aśta Bhairava.  Their consorts are known as aśta mātās. Sixty four Bhairava-s and sixty four Yogini-s are born to them.

The Bhāvanopaniṣad prescribes Her mental worship.  This is also called mahā-yāga.  Yāga generally means fire rituals and navāvaraṇa pūja, though all fire rituals are not called yāga.  Krama means going, proceeding or course.  The nāma means that She is worshipped through navāvaraṇa pūja.  The secretive meaning is that She is worshipped mentally as prescribed by Bhāvanopaniṣad (भावनोपनिषद्)

{Names of sixty four yoginī-s:  (The names of yoginī-s differ from text to text.) 1. Brahmāni, 2. Candikā 3.  Raudrī, 4.  Gauri, 5.  Indrānī, 6. Kaumāri, 7. Bhairavī,  8. Dusgā, 9. Nārasimhī, 10. Kālikā, 11.  Cāmundā, 12.  Śiva-dūtī, 13. Vārāhī, 14. Kauśikī, 15. Mahā-iśvari, 16. Śankari, 17.  Jayanti 18.  Sarva-maṇgalā, 19. Kāli, 20. Karālini, 21. Medhā, 22. Śivā, 23. Śākambari, 24. Bhīmā, 25. Śantā, 26. Bhramāri, 27. Rudrāni, 28. Ambikā, 29. Kśamā, 30. Dhātri, 31. Svahā, 32. Svadhā, 33. Parnā, 34. Mahāundarī, 35. Ghora-rūpā, 36. Mahā-kāli, 37. Bhadra-kāli, 38. Kapālini, 39.  Kśemakari, 41. Candrā  42.  Candrāvāli,  43. Prapancā,  44. Pralayantikā,  45.  Picuvaktrā,  46. Piśāci, 47. Priyankari, 48. Bāla-vikarmī, 49.  Bāla-pramanthani, 50.  Madana-unmanthani, 51. Sarvabhūtā-damani, 52 Umā, 53.  Tārā, 54. Mahā-nidrā, 55. Vijayā, 56. Jayā, 57. Śaila-putrī, 58. Zayanti,  59. Dusjayā,  60. Jayantikā,  61. Bidāli, 62. Kūśmāndī, 63.  Katyāyani, 64. Mahāgauri.}

Mahā-bhairava-pūjitā महा-भैरव-पूजिता (231)

She is worshipped by the great Bhairava.  Bhairava means, the highest reality.  The word Bhairava is made up of three syllables - bha + ra + va.    Bha means bharana, the act of sustenance; ra means ravana, the act of withdrawal or dissolution and va means varana, the act of creation.  These three are the acts of the Brahman.  Bhairava form of Śiva is considered as the Supreme form as it is the combination of His prakāśa and vimarśa forms (prakāśa is Self-illuminating and vimarśa manifests the entire universe with that Light).  In other words, the Bhairava form is the united form of Śiva and Śaktī or Bhairava and Bhairavī.  The entire cosmic manifestation of subjects and objects arise only from the union of Bhairava and Bhairavī, also known as Śiva-Śaktī aikya (aikya means union - nāma 999).

Maheśvara-mahākalpa-mahātāṇḍava-sakṣiṇī महेश्वर-महाकल्प-महाताण्डव-सक्षिणी (232)

Śiva dances fiercely at the time of great dissolution (mahākalpa) and none was around except Lalitāmbikā, who just witnesses this terrible act of Śiva.  The great dissolution means the universe ceases to exist and nothing remains except Śiva and Śaktī.  The dissolution is called the fourth act of the Brahman, the other three being creation, sustenance and destruction.  The difference between destruction and dissolution is noteworthy.  Destruction is transmigration of a soul.  The soul leaves the body to be born again.  Death is only for the physical body.    Dissolution or annihilation or the deluge means the death of entire physical body as well as all the souls.  When dissolution happens, nothing exists.  Everything dissolves into Śiva in the presence of Śaktī, who witnesses the great dissolution. 

In some of the texts Kālarātrī is referred to as the wife of Bhairava.  Kālarātrī Devi is both a destructor and a protector.  Her mantra is considered as extremely powerful and said to give immediate results (refer nāma 491 for further details on Kālarātrī). 

Mahā-kāmeśa-mahiṣī महा-कामेश-महिषी (233)

The consort of Mahā Kāmeśvara is known as Mahā Kāmeśvarī.   Mahiṣī means queen, the queen of Śiva.   Vāc Devi-s after describing the great and terrible dissolution immediately mention about an auspicious scene, the Kāmeśvarī form of Lalitāmbikā.  But who is that Kāmeśvarī?  The next nāma answers this. 

Mahā-tripura-sundarī महा-त्रिपुर-सुन्दरी (234)

She is described as the most beautiful woman of the three worlds.  The three worlds are vyāhṛti-s (bhūr,  bhuvaḥ, svar) of Gāyatri mantra. The significance of the Tripurasundari form is the stage of the sādhaka where the knowledge, the knower and known are merged together to form one single entity, the Brahman.  She produces all things that are in a threefold state.  This is called Self-realization.